2018 Buick Encore Review, Release Date and Price

The look of the new 2018 Buick Encore vehicle does well to mask its economy car looks and brings us a design that portrays the car in higher light than you may think of it. Yet the performance is something that still gives it away. The car has been well designed this time and has featured numerous updates and upgrades, but it is still going to have to face some sturdy competition.

2018 Buick Encore

At its initial release back in 2013, the car was a fairly new addition to the small crossover SUV field and was virtually alone there. But the competitors have tighten their offer now and there are more vehicles available now that the car is going against. Not to say that other cars are better but there are many which are more affordable that the new Encore, so its price may be somewhat of an issue for the brand.

Yet the car does its best to stay in contention as much as it can. The new 2018 model will come with some luxury car features and combined it with premium level pricing. It will still have a nice hatchback shape and have a somewhat tepid performance, but there is the Encore Sport Touring model on the way which comes out after the release of this base one which will provide more power for the vehicle.

2018 Buick Encore exterior

The design of the new Buick Encore has been masterfully made to disguise its initial boxy shape that the car traditionally sports. It has been added some more aggressiveness to it so the car looks better and more contemporary. This does not mean that the benchmark look of the Encore has been abandoned altogether, but actually that it has been coated with some additional design features that mask the box-like exterior of the car. The front end of the car has been steeply raked, but there are some design parts which look as if the designers have been trying too hard. Well it does the trick and masks the features that are supposed to be hidden pretty nicely, but the looks of it justify its price immensely. It rides on some massive 18-inch wheels which make the car look pretty big.

2018 Buick Encore front

The front part of the car also has a somewhat bulldog look to it. It actually receives that from its toothy grille that has been added with chrome-trimmed portholes. It also gets that from the large wheels it has received now. But it is the middle part of the car that starts changing the vehicle back to a standard, more traditional 5-door hatchback. The back part of the car has been design in a style which is out of the ordinary for a Buick car and the added spoiler to the end of the roofline makes the car seem much longer than it actually is.

2018 Buick Encore back

Interior

The inside of the car has more success in providing a premium feel to the car. It is very nice inside we can say and the designers have done a much better job compared with the outside of the car. But there is something that we do not like and that it the center stack. It has been swamped with various buttons, knobs and switches that are supposed to be generally useful but in fact only make a big mess with the interior of the car. The wood trim and the metal accents that have been added actually give the center console a good look and upgrade this cluttered surrounding.

2018 Buick Encore interior

To boost the ambience inside the car, there is a Blue LED light provided. It makes the atmosphere inside the car seem much more high end and does the trick in making you feel much comfortable, but this is the only option light and you do not possess the ability to change it. Buick has also included some interior themes that come available inside, one of the more interesting ones is the all-black monochrome look of the inside. If you want more excitement there is the two-toned brown interior cocoa-colored leather. The choice is yours here as the two available color specters determine the person you are.

Engine

The 2018 Buick Encore does not offer much when it comes to the powertrain. It is a good option for this kind of a car but there is only a single offer under the hood that is provided. The choice fell to the turbocharged 1.4 liter four-cylinder engine that can produce 138 horsepower with 148 pound-feet torque. The car also combines the powertrain with a singe gearbox choice with is the 6-speed automatic transmission one. The car also has the front-wheel and the optional all-wheel drive. The new G2UB platform will make the car more light weight compared to earlier models.

Release date and price

The 2018 model of the newest Buick Encore vehicle comes to us around middle of this year. After the release of the 2018 Buick Encore model, we can expect the release date to be announced for the Sport Touring trim as well. The price is as we said not a completely affordable one when it comes to these small SUV hatchbacks and should stand around the 24,000 – 25,000 USD base MSRP.